Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
Literary analysis of homer the odyssey
Themes in the odyssey
Harvard classics the odyssey
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Literary analysis of homer the odyssey
Themes in the odyssey
Harvard classics the odyssey
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Seaver addresses the idea that the Coca-Cola Company came up with the ideal slogan of “the real thing” first. Seaver believes and also states in his letter to Herbert that if both companies use the slogan, then there will be confusion in the products, that will cause the customers to be misleading. Seaver complicates matters further when he describes the disadvantage of using the same slogan, which will eventually affect their merchandise. In other words, Seaver knows that if both companies keep using the same motto, customers would be confused in which product is advertised, and it can cause a downfall in their financial.
There are many themes in both O Brother where Art Thou and the Odyssey which seem to be strongly similar. Many similarities between the characters and their actions surface through their actions. In my essay I will not only compare and contrast the most important elements of the mentioned works, but will also discuss the importance of heroic figures and the less favored themes, such as revenge and foolish fearlessness. It is important to note that both works are taken place during hard times. Odysseus’ journey is dated around 1200 BCE, or the ‘Dark Age’.
1. Homer’s hearty descriptions fill the tale with so much beauty and imagination. His tale becomes real before your eyes, and grows with every place that is visited. Every land is a new adventure drawing the reader in. His words flow with glorious succession in detail that paints a picture in the imagination of the most uninventive minds.
“Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction.” -Erich Fromm ‘The Odyssey’ by Homer, follows the story of Odysseus, a great Greek hero. It tells of his venture to Troy, to lead his army in the Trojan War, and his separation from loved ones and his kingdom for twenty years. However, the novel mainly focuses on the story of his homecoming and all he, and many others, had to endure while he was returning from abroad.
The Odyssey highlights several key themes that were integral to Greek life. Hospitality, and the abuse of it are some of the central driving forces in this epic. Homer’s telling of the tale focuses on these aspects of Greek life to
Homer, was a great bard who travels from villages telling many villagers his famous epic. The Odyssey of Homer, Homer’s epic creates a theme around Dolos:Trickery. Trickery can be used to escape from life threatening situations. He uses irony, when Odysseus, is trying to escape the one-eyed cyclops Polyphemus by using “the trick of nobody”. He then foreshadows how Odysseus’s homecoming will be, using the sirens voices as a symbolic message.
The Odyssey, Homer, takes the reader on a man's journey back home after being faced with many struggles for 15 years. Throughout the epic poem, The Odyssey, several examples of epic concepts are shown, such as; epithets, epic similes, and archetypes. Epithets are most commonly seen throughout this epic poem. This is evident because there are many examples of epithets in each book of The Odyssey. For example when the gods and goddesses were discussing Odysseus' fate they used a epithet.
The pathos and ethos of cultures is often discernable in literary narratives as expressions of the sentiment of approval or disapproval. Thus, the impact of literary narratives on cultures cannot be understated; the arts do impact and influence culture in both positive and negative ways. This is not a new phenomenon and can be observed in cultures as early as 6 Century B.C. and can be traced throughout human history. An example of this can be seen in Homer’s Odyssey, in which there are certain characters within the narrative that portray what is known as “arete.” Arete is viewed as a desirable character trait which some define as the display of perseverance, quick-wittedness, prowess, valor, etc.
While many would argue that the human species officially embarked on the journey to “conquer” nature at the inception of the Industrial Revolution, with men bending nature to suit their purposes on an unprecedented scale, the seeds of such sentiments to surpass nature with created culture had been planted hundreds of thousands of years ago. With a casual overview of human history, one can see that the idea of bending elements of nature to human will rose as early as hundreds of thousands of years ago, perhaps when homo erectus first started cooking food with fire. The idea of the cultural death, the burning of one’s body to prevent one from being consumed by the elements of nature that occupies a most illustrious position in the Homeric world, can be dated back to roughly 20,000 years ago (Lake Mungo remains), the currently earliest recorded act of cremating the dead. Homer frequently juxtaposes aspects of nature and culture in his work. In the Odyssey, Homer juxtaposes the society of Cyclops with the civilized human society, demonstrating the stark differences between a naturalistic and a cultural society.
“The Odyssey.” The Norton Anthology of World Literature, Norton, 2001, pp. 225–530. Lawall, Sarah N., and Maynard Mack. “The Aeneid.”
The Odyssey would be less memorable without Homer’s masterful use of figurative language. This poem can only stand the test of time when the figurative language is used to help readers relate to the text no matter what time period they come from. Figurative language in the text has made the story as a whole more interesting and has made countless readers engaged by this tale of, in Homer’s own words, “that man skilled in all ways of contending.” (p. 813,
Natural phenomenons is a science, but centuries ago the Greeks believed a deity was responsible for the natural causes that were created. In Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, Odysseus was separated from his wife and son to fight in the Trojan war for 10 years. In addition, spends 11 more years struggling to get back to his family due to these supernaturals caused by the gods. The Greeks portray the gods to be powerful and merciful. They played a huge role in Odysseus’s heroic journey as a savior and tormentor.
Diction and imagery are very important components to a story. It is the way that the author displays their feelings through the character. Homer uses very vivid shifts in tone, sometimes creating room for the reader to learn a lesson. In one of Homer’s famous books, “The Odyssey,” he uses diction, imagery, and tone to show that everything does not always go as planned. Wishing to escape the cyclops’ bondage, Odysseus tries to get out of trouble and assumes that he and his men are safe by lying to the Cyclops.
Iliad, the epic poem is written by a great epic poet Homer. This poem is a classic in real terms and recounts some historic facts about the last ten years of Trojan war and the Greek siege city of Troy. Tracing back its history, Iliad is thought to be written back in 8th century B.C. and it is considered one of the earliest works in western literary tradition. It captures the scene of blood, abductions, murders, wrath of Achilles, revenge, anger and intervention of gods. The scene of warfare and blood are presented in the poem through oral tradition initially.
The dramatically different ways in which Homer and Virgil depict defining moments within their epics, perfectly sheds light upon the different intentions of between their epics. Even in spite of Homer’s work serving as a clear influence to Vergil’s work, the varying intent of the two epics lead to a completely different story. In essence, the purpose for Homer’s epic is primarily to entertain the audience, while the other is to serve as a piece of political propaganda and affirm the greatness of Rome. Furthermore, the different depictions of the underworld, along with the imagery adorned on the shields also communicate another key difference,which is the author’s perspective on the purpose of life. Overall, regardless of Homer’s influence